"Another crap season" "Sell the team" - Red Sox fans criticize team's lack of spending as rumors linking Kylian Mbappe to FSG-owned Liverpool emerge

Being a Boston Red Sox fan can be frustrating at times. One of the proudest teams in the MLB, with nine World Series wins to its name, is being consistently outspent by rivals, which has become glaringly obvious this winter.

While the LA Dodgers have committed to spending incredible sums (including $700 million on Shohei Ohtani and $325 million on Yoshinobu Yamamoto), the Red Sox are yet to make waves.

One could argue that the ownership doesn't have the money to spend on such luxuries, but recent reports might put that argument to bed. FSG, the company that owns the Red Sox, also owns the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and English soccer club Liverpool FC.

Liverpool has been linked to PSG and France superstar Kylian Mbappe, a FIFA World Cup winner with a price tag that would set records if a deal is ever made. This has raised eyebrows in Boston, where fans are desperate to see some of that money spent in the MLB.

Boston-based baseball podcaster Boston Sports Gordo posted the Mbappe rumor on X, writing:

"Liverpool are a serious candidate in the race to sign superstar Kylian Mbappé, per @GFFN. A deal would cost several hundreds of millions. The Red Sox have reportedly had mandates to stay under the luxury tax while FSG invests billions into Liverpool, the Penguins, and the PGA…"

This post was met with fan ire, bordering on outrage, by the Red Sox faithful, who didn't hold back in their comments, with many wanting the ownership to sell the team:

"Sell the Sox!"

"Yup...another crap season," another fan commented.

Other fans noted the contrasts in spending in each sport, with the budgets for both teams being markedly different:

Some noted that Liverpool's net spending under FSG is below the norm, which is similar to how the Red Sox is being run:

While Boston staying under the luxury tax is laudable, it does mean the team will struggle to compete with the highest-spending teams. If one looks at the money spent by the New York Yankees, LA Dodgers and New York Mets recently, playing within the tax could come back to bite Boston.

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Are the Red Sox dependent on spending for success?

Fans could point to the above teams underperforming despite spending, but their fans can always be optimistic that the future belongs to them. In many sports with no salary caps or real spending limitations, money is a key component in success.

FSG was founded by John Henry and Tom Werner in 2001, and the sports investment company bought the Red Sox in 2002 for $380 million. Forbes estimates Henry's net worth at $4 billion and Werner's at $1.7 billion.

The company certainly has the funds to spend on big players, but whether it is good business is always asked before anything is agreed upon. As with many companies that own sports teams, fans often criticize a cautious approach to spending.

However, this is a standard practice, and ensuring each signing is a good investment is key to ensuring a team's future. Shohei Ohtani is an outstanding player, but $700 million is incredible. The issue is that if an organization wants the best players, it must pay to get them, especially in the current climate.

Given that the Red Sox's last World Series win came in 2018 and was the fourth under FSG, the company has arguably done a good job. While it is hard for the club's fans to watch the spending sprees of other teams, particularly in December 2023, there is a chance that this cautious model is the best route for Boston.